Edward and I came traipsing back into the house. Soon after, the rest of them followed, clearly depressed & ashamed that they didn't find anything. I told them not to worry about it. The man was probably far too experienced to make such a rookie mistake. It took them a while to accept this. Once they did, we quickly realised that we had another problem to face; what would we do next? Do we tell Esme everything, now we have more information? Or do we keep her in the dark until absolutely necessary? I think we should stick with the latter plan. If she found the single tulip with the note attached, or the letter for that matter, I would have no choice but to tell her everything from beginning to end. However, I didn't want to make her feel that she would have to sacrifice herself for me. For one thing, I am not worth that amount of devotion. For another, she is such an innocent dove that dark troubles such as these should never befall her. Therefore, I feel it is only right to provide the maximum protection for her, be the ultimate amulet, so to speak. Yes, this is the right thing to do. I'm sure of it. Almost.

This was all good and true, but there was a small voice in the furthest corner of my brain which told me otherwise. It was telling me that what I was doing was wrong. And this was no different. I didn't have any time to second guess myself and my supposedly irrational decisions. Not this time.

Edward seemed to have been 'listening' to my debate with myself, as he said, "Perhaps that is the best way forward."

"What is?" asked Emmett, clueless as usual.

"I think that we should ignore the letter and its threats, at least for now. Emmett, you are in charge of bringing Rosalie up to speed." Emmett nodded. "Furthermore, we should put on a charade for Esme, pretend that everything is all right. She can't know about this, not yet. I couldn't possibly tell her and destroy her happiness." The moment I finished my little monologue, the atmosphere once again fell silent. This time, Alice was the one who broke it,

"Carlisle, I think that I speak for all of us when I say that we just want you to be happy. Now, we have to prepare ourselves. Rose and Esme are just about to drive into the forest." As soon as she said this, the rest of my family dispersed into action. Emmett ran off into the forest. I assumed that he desperately wanted to see Rose and couldn't wait any longer. He was always so impatient. I suppose that was immature aspect of him that he carried through to his vampire life. Jasper paced away in no direction in particular. Alice put her hand on his shoulder, but he just shrugged it off and mumbled something about wanting to be alone. I couldn't blame him. The escalated emotions were probably too much for him. He needed some time to himself, and I respected this. This meant that it was just Alice, Edward and me and that vast space and I had to admit it was awkward. Edward looked like he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown and Alice just seemed to desperately want to talk to me… and tell Edward to get a grip of himself. Edward let out a small growl and then instantly regained control. Alice ignored Edward's queer reactions, despite how utterly noticeable he seemed. She whispered,

"Carlisle, may I speak with you briefly?" Edward relaxed.

"Sure Alice," I replied, unsure what the topic of conversation that she had in mind was.

"In private, if you don't mind." Edward tensed up again. He said one word.

"Don't." He was speaking through his teeth, controlling himself as best as he could. It looked like one false move, and he would lash out and attack Alice. However, Alice just rolled her eyes dismissively and continued speaking, without losing her fixed gaze on me.

"Not that so get a grip. I don't see why we shouldn't anyway but since you are being like this," she gestured to Edward, "it would best for all of us." Edward reluctantly began walking back to his room. I knew that once he was there, he would start his depression phase all over again. Instinctively, I grabbed his arm.

"Edward, please," I pleaded. He just scowled and pulled his arm out of my weak grasp with ease.

"I'm fine. It's nothing." With that, he was gone. I didn't' bother reasoning with him. He could be really stubborn that way. Instead, I returned to the duty at hand. I had to admit, I was curious. What did Alice want to tell me which could only be done in private? I tried to think back and unfortunately, my mind kept casting back to when I overheard Alice & Edward talking when I went to fetch the letter opener.

-Flashback-

'What exactly did you see?'

'Nothing, but-'

'Exactly'

- End Flashback-

That moment kept replaying in my head, which made me wonder about the true meaning of what they both said. Was here more to it than I originally thought? I quickly hid these thoughts from Edward, knowing he would be listening.

"Umm Carlisle?" A soprano voice questioned; a voice I assumed could only belong to Alice. "You zoned out there. are you sure you aren't having a vision?" I smiled at her admirable attempt to lighten the mood.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me?" I asked. Alice's eyes were shifting around the room, a common sign that she was nervous. She took a theatrical deep breath, and began.

"I just want to make sure that you are making the right decision for you. Are you sure that you don't want to tell Esme anything? It is mainly about her you know."

"I'm positive." I replied firmly, not skipping a beat.

"Fine, that's your call," she continued, obviously not wishing to provoke me any further. "But you are going to tell her at some point, right?" she pressed.

"Well, I hope it will never come to that. I hope this was an off-chance, nothing to be taken too seriously. If it goes too far, or she finds the letter, I will have no choice but to tell her everything," I replied, feeling slightly guilty, but with no idea why. This was for my darling's own good after all.

"So you are saying, that you'd rather tell her the truth only when absolutely necessary than right off the bat?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying," I replied, feeling more guilty as the conversation progressed.

"Are you sure that is what you want? I mean, put yourself in Esme's shoes. This is quite a large secret you are hiding from her. When she finds out-"

"If she finds out," I interrupted, not allowing myself to believe that this whole event will ever happen. Esme was too innocent a subject to be the victim of these barbaric schemes.

"All right then," she continued, pretending that I had never interrupted her. "If she finds out, how do you think she is going to feel?" I had never thought of that angle. I suppose that I thought she would always accept me and my decisions, whatever they were. No matter, I wasn't going to let such a simple question defeat my whole well-constructed plan.

"I suppose relieved that I kept the truth from her for so long. After all, it is rather terrifying-"

"Don't give me that lousy garbage Carlisle, because I don't buy it. Esme may be married to you, but that doesn't mean that she has fully succumbed herself to you and your opinions. Now, tell me again, how do you think she is going to feel?" I certainly didn't expect to hear that from Alice. Who knew that out of all the people I knew, she was the one who could see right through me and my guise. Even though I have lived for over three hundred years, there are some things which still surprise me. This is one of them. I didn't have the faintest idea as to how to answer her question, so I remained silent, holding on to the false hope that she would get distracted by something so that she would no longer interrogate me. "Didn't think so. Let me know when you come up with something. Just keep that in mind, would you?" With that, Alice left to go and find Jasper. Meanwhile, I was still frozen in place. Was she right? Should I tell Esme about this Eben character? After all, she might know some crucial information which could help in his… dismemberment.

No, I wasn't going to give in that easily. A small girl of 4'11 was not going to ruin my chivalrous personality and outlook on life. I was not going to burden mi vida with my troubles, and even though they were theoretically speaking hers. However, anything which threatens my love automatically becomes my business and therefore my trouble.

I couldn't afford to think like this anymore though, because Esme was back. Not only was she here, but my true self as well, my light self. And I greeted her and my light side with open arms. Then, I swept her off her feet and carried her as gracefully as a vampire could manage to our bedroom. I lay her down on our bed, which we mainly used to keep up appearances with but it certainly did have other… uses to say the least. Esme was quite shocked at my sudden decisions and actions that she wasn't really sure what to make of them. "Ooh Carlisle, aren't we a little desperate and theatrical today? This is so unlike you! Is Jasper around?" she questioned me. I replied with kissing her neck, starting at the top and working my way down. She put her hand at the back of my hand and gently gripped it. Sparks were flying in my thought process and I felt young at heart again. My Father would never have allowed such intimacy at my young age. Not that 23 was as young as it was now. The new millennia meant change, good and bad and I embraced both. Before my vision was fuzzy and I wasn't sure what I lived for. Now I see clearly. Esme, all of this, is what I live for. I could do this all day and all night.

Unfortunately for me, this meant that I had once again piqued Esme's curiosity. I suppose that not everything can go my way. "Seriously Carlisle. What is this about? I'm not blind, nor am I stupid. Something has changed in you," she asked, cradling the left side of my face in her right hand. I answered her almost immediately.

"Mon amour, why would you ever think that you are stupid? I suppose the new millennium has changed me in more ways than one. I have always loved you and felt protective of you. I have just never had time to show it. And now I am. Surely that isn't a problem for you?" I was sure that I had nailed it and Esme's light laughter proved it.

"I suppose there is something said about absence making the heart grow fonder," she replied.

"Even if only for a few hours." She held me by my waist and flipped us over, so that she was now on top of me, the material of her dress spread out around me in such a perfect fashion that you would think it was done for a photo shoot. She then grabbed my tie and started pulling me backwards so that her back landed squarely against the lavender coloured walls. She then pushed me with such force that I landed back on the bed again. I spoke again. "My, now who's the theatrical one, eh?" I smirked. She laughed a laugh which to me was more like a song which even the songbirds which visited our forest every now and then would envy. This particular beautiful songbird however, just so happened to be my wife.

"Does that disappoint you Carls?" she asked playfully.

"On the contrary, it is enjoyable. You would give Rose a run for her money!" I laughed at that last part. She walked towards me.

"I doubt that." She kissed me briefly, and turned to leave, moving at a quickened human pace. I leaned forward and stood up.

"Where are you going?" I asked, sounding more desperate than I intended.

"Honestly Carlisle. Do you have to always know where I am going all the time? One would think that you are coming down with a bad case of paranoia. Anyway, I just wanted to show Alice the clothes we bought." I ran my fingers through my hair, something I did when I was embarrassed. I couldn't blush anymore for obvious reasons, but I would if I could.

"Oh right," was all I could say in response.

"See you soon."

"I'll be waiting." She smiled & then walked away. I heard her going down all three flights of stairs, only to go back up two, & then open and a door, which I assumed was for Alice & Jasper's room. I suppose that she went down to collect her shopping bags to show Alice the clothes she bought, like she promised. Esme was right. I am becoming more paranoid.

No sooner had Esme left, when I heard another knock at the door. I quickly straightened out the bed and re-adjusted my tie before opening the door. To my surprise, I saw Rosalie standing outside the door. "May I come in?" she asked in a sorrowful tone which I was quite surprised of.

"Yes, of course." She walked in and sat on the bed and I joined her. "Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" She seemed hesitant to answer, but she did so eventually nonetheless.

"Emmett told me about everything that happened, including your decisions on how to handle the matter."

"Go on."

"I just wanted to tell you that I completely agree with your choices & that I am on your side." I never expected that. Did she really believe that? Did I really have someone else on my side?

"Which choices?" I asked, so that ambiguity could not be to blame if there was a misunderstanding. "Just to clarify."

"Oh," she replied, obviously not expecting me to ask that question. "Well, the main point is that you aren't telling Esme about any of this, and I admire that. You obviously love her very much to not want her getting involved in this. In my opinion, it is a very chivalrous thing to do. Besides, if I were Esme, I'd rather be in the dark and never know the truth than know the truth but worry constantly about what will happen to me." I was star struck by this. I didn't think that Rosalie would agree with my point of view. Then again, she was never one of those people who agreed with the majority, including family matters. She always agreed with the minority, or had a completely different view entirely.

"Well, that makes two of us." She smiled at my easy acceptance on the way she looked at things. Now, I was more sure than ever that I was making the right decision here. Alice's words couldn't hurt me now. Her argument was strong, but not strong enough to sway me. "Thank you, Rosalie. You have restored my faith."

"Don't worry Carlisle. It was nothing," she replied modestly, something which was rare for her. "I must go now. Emmett has prepared a surprise for me and I wouldn't want it to go to waste."

"But of course," I replied, completely understanding Emmett's actions. "See you later. Don't keep Emmett waiting any longer. He can be rather impatient at times and a true lady should never keep a man waiting." I laughed to myself at those last words.

"Well said. Goodbye." Rosalie got up and left, leaving the door open. I couldn't help smiling. Something about my conversation with Rosalie lifted my mood instantly. Alice and Rosalie were on different sides. I assumed that Emmett and Jasper would take their mates' side but Edward's decision was what I wanted most. In my opinion, he would cast the deciding vote for me. So far, he seemed to take Alice's side, even though there was some tension between them. I couldn't help thinking that it was about what I overheard. It didn't feel right knowing the truth without them telling me in their own time. I wasn't supposed to hear and I wanted to clear this issue up. I didn't want our family ties to weaken, especially at a time like this. I certainly couldn't afford it. I wanted my relationship with Edward to stay strong, and this matter was getting in the way. I knew that Edward could probably hear my thoughts now, but I didn't mind. We were going to get this issue over and done with now so giving him a heads up wouldn't be terrible. Plus, Alice already knew the outcome.

I walked out of my room and walked down the hall into Edward's room. He was already walking out of there, knowing that I wanted to see him. "I know you want to see me Carlisle," he said, though not as angry as I expected which was good.

"I do indeed. Why don't you meet me in my study? I will be there in a moment." He knew what I was going to do; get Alice. However, he didn't bother asking and followed my instructions. I walked down the flight of stairs, only to hear giggling coming from Alice and Jasper's room. I assumed that Jasper went hunting by himself or something along those lines. At least the charade that we were putting on meant that the emotions were closer to normal than they had been a couple of hours ago… my, time has been getting on! I looked at my watch and noticed that it was 5 o' clock, a lot later than I expected it to be, not that it mattered. We didn't have to go through the sleeping cycles. I knocked on Alice's bedroom door, slightly curious about what Esme was doing in there and what she had bought.

"Just a second, Carlisle!" she shouted and another voice which I assumed belonged to Esme let out another laugh. Now I really wanted to know what was going on in there.

I was just about to knock on the door again, when Alice opened the door and popped her head around it. "What do you want Carlisle?"

"Oh, I would like you to come into my study. I want to talk to you about something. Don't worry, it won't take long."

"Sure!" she smiled, radiating happiness as always. "Don't do anything Esme until I give you the signal. And don't even think of ruining my masterpiece!" she shouted back into her bedroom. Had Alice given Esme another makeover again? I guess so. Alice then opened and closed the door, making sure that Esme was concealed from my view as she did so. What had she planned?

I walked into my study first, Alice following close behind. Edward was already there sitting, like I told him. Alice gave Edward a very warm smile, not fake at all. Edward seemed confused, but smiled back regardless. Now I felt terrible for having to break their happiness, but it was what I had to do. It was my duty.

"Carlisle, don't let that get in the way of your intentions," Edward began, obviously having read, or should I say heard, my mind. "Do what you came here for. Don't let us get in the way."

"I suppose so, son," I said, shooting a thankful glance his way. "Now, I just wanted to tell you something that I am not happy about. I feel that both of you already half know what I am going to say or do but let me clarify. I overheard you two talking earlier today about something which wasn't particularly positive. It concerned your visions, Alice." Alice let out a deep breath.

"I knew that I sensed him, Edward. See?" she hissed, all signs of positivity gone completely. This is exactly what I didn't want to happen. Edward however, did exactly what I hoped he would do. He became the bigger man. This was probably why he was my favourite son: he was like me in so many ways.

"You were right Alice. I'm sorry. I should've been more careful." Alice was taken aback by this. "Please accept my full apologies."

"Erm, consider them accepted, I guess."

"Back to the matter at hand," I continued, not wanting the situation to become more awkward than it needed to be. "Now, what is it that you haven't been telling me? I think I deserve to know." Alice and Edward both sighed.

"Do you want to tell him, or shall I?" asked Edward.

"I think I should, if you don't mind," replied Alice, seeming hesitant.

"No I don't mind," Edward replied, charming her.

"Well," she began, though obviously not completely sure where to begin. "Remember when you first came into my room and I told you that I had multiple visions about a man which we now know has the initials E.S?" I nodded. "Do you remember what I said at the end of the fourth vision?" Of course I did. Not just because I had vampire memory, but also because it was one of those things which you don't forget. "That it was as –"

"As if he realised that he was showing me a thought that you shouldn't have seen because you didn't see anything afterwards," I finished for her.

"Exactly."

"Since then, I keep trying to search for this man, even when we didn't know who he was. However, searching for something you can't see can prove rather difficult."

"I'm sure," I said, empathising for her. "Where does Edward come into this though?" Alice was about to continue, but Edward interrupted, answering for her.

"I'll answer that, if you don't mind, lissy," Edward said, using the endearing nickname for her that only he knew. Alice gave a simple nod, but I could tell that she was secretly smiling to herself. She also bit her lip, an action she did only when she was embarrassed. "Well, I was minding my own business and then I looked at Alice. I obviously knew that she was in 'vision mode' if you will, so I asked her if she had seen anything of importance and it took her a while, but eventually she caved." He laughed, obviously enjoying himself. It was nice to see Edward happy again, even if only for a brief moment and in any shape or form. Alice meanwhile decided to became fascinated in the binding of a first edition of Jane Eyre. "Anyway, she told me everything from beginning to end. At first I got angry with her, but now I see sense. I wanted you to know as little as possible about this, I didn't want to cause you even more pain than you were experiencing."

"And now?" I asked, although I already felt that I knew the answer.

"And now I think that you deserve to know. I am really sorry Alice, and you too Carlisle. I'm sorry for my depression episode and for turning on you in that way. It wasn't my place to act that way." After he was done, we had a very awkward moment of silence. I decided to break it by saying,

"Wow, that was easier than I thought. Alice, do you have anything else to add?"

"No, I think Edward covered everything."

"All right then. Alice, you can go. I want to talk to Edward in private." Alice didn't say anything to Edward. She just nodded, rose to go and walked away out of my study. She then turned on her heels and said,

"Take all the time you need," before leaving and closing the door behind her. I couldn't be bothered to decipher what that meant at the present moment. All I wanted to do was ask him where he stood in this whole matter. So I 'thought' this message at him, to save time. I wanted to get through this ordeal as fast as possible.

"I am neutral at this point," Edward replied. "I didn't want to get into this at all. I mean, I am aware that I am the deciding vote, but I don't want to be. I don't want my decision to be your decision. You need to find out the answer on your own. Only you can be the judge of what to do." In some ways, I hated what he just said. But in others, I feel that it is exactly what I would say to Edward if the tables were turned. However, just wanted to clarify his position one last time.

"Let me just clarify. What team are you on?"

"Team Switzerland and I'm not budging. Sorry Carlisle."

"Don't worry son. I fully respect your answer. You can go." He tipped his head forward and got up. Realisation flashed across his face for a split second. IF you were a human, even an observant one, you would miss it. "What is it, Edward?" I questioned rather dumbly.

"I just realised something. We are trying to track down this… E.S, right?" He waited for my nod which I gave him. "We need to find out his past, and to do that, we need to-"He paused, waiting for me to answer. It took me rather a while, half a second to be precise. Then, the answer struck me like a lightning bolt coming down from the heavens.

"We need to uncover Esme's past, considering that they seemed rather close at the time."

"Exactly."

"Wait a moment. How do we do that? We can hardly look her up on the internet." Edward answered my question immediately.

"I think it's time you take a little trip to Milwaukee."